No Lights
by MegaFrost4
Summary: "You want a revelation, some kind of resolution? Tell me what you want me to say." Video!fic for the Stony video "No Lights by ann2who. Civil War AU
1. Chapter 1

Fic Tribute to the Stony video "Steve & Tony | No Lights **Civil War AU** by ann2who

* * *

Tony woke up to darkness.

"So much for a good night's sleep." He stared up at the ceiling. "JARVIS? What time is it?"

" _Good morning, Sir. It is currently 5:06 and 13° outside._ "

Tony swore. Just hearing how cold it was made him sink down into the bed more. He felt body heat, immediately grabbing hold of it.

"Mhmmmm...Tony." The sluggish voice playfully fought off the cold hands, then sighed, a slow grin forming.

"Yes, dear?" Tony raised his voice. "Are my hands too cold for you, Capsicle?"

"Not. Funny."

"I'm always funny." Tony kissed a wrinkled forehead.

Eyes slowly peeled open. "JARVIS, lights please."

Tony swore again, squinting his eyes shut.

"We have got to work on your language."

He slowly opened his eyes to meet bright blue eyes. "Morning, babe."

"Morning, honey."

The two men kissed, then laid back on their crumpled pillows.

"Guess who's turn it is to cook breakfast?"

"Steeeeeeve, I don't wanna."

"C'mon, Tony, we have the whole Tower to ourselves. This is our day, and I want _you_ to make _us_ some breakfast."

Tony frowned, then got an idea. "I'll teach Dummy how to cook." He jumped out of bed, praising himself for another brilliant idea.

Steve just laughed. "Same old Tony."

As Tony made his way to the lab, a crash heard downstairs sent him running.

" _Sir, there seems to be a problem in the-_ "

"On it." Tony opened the door, horrified. "Really?!"

Steve sat up in bed, alert to the loud thump out in the hallway. The door opened to reveal Tony, who looked way past done.

"What happened?"

"Idiot's laundry." Tony mumbled, as he lazily kicked an overflowing basket towards the foot of the bed. "Idiot was supposed to be better than Dummy. He's got two arms...to _fold_!"

"Giving your robots derogatory names doesn't help the situation." Steve smiled at Tony folding laundry. "Besides, I thought Dummy was your favorite."

"Still haven't found a shitty enough science fair to throw him into."

Steve and Tony both knew that would never happen.

"You know what? Screw it. You're making breakfast, since I have to do laundry."

Steve got out of bed and hugged Tony from behind. He kissed the back of his head as Tony kept folding their clothes. "OK, you don't have to do anything the rest of the day you don't want to do."

"Yea." Tony cheered softly.

"After breakfast, I'm going to hit the gym, so why don't you go play in the lab?"

"What am I, five?" Tony turned to see Steve's raised eyebrows. "Yeah, OK."

* * *

Tony threw his goggles across the room and massaged his temples, letting out a huff of frustration.

" _I'm sorry, Sir, but the Mark XLV failed the test. Might I suggest we-_ "

"No, I need that upgrade, JARVIS. It's suffocating."

" _Of course, Sir. My apologies._ " JARVIS turned on some music.

 _Has he lost his mind?_

 _Can he see or is he blind?_

Tony got up, shoving his stool into a table. "Not helping, Buddy."

" _Oh, Sir, I apologize for bad timing._ "

"Don't worry about it." His breathing was getting erratic.

"Worry about what?"

Tony turned to see Steve, and paled.

"Tony?" Steve stood still, not wanting to upset him anymore. "It's OK. I'm right here."

"I...can't get it to work."

"You will."

"No, I need to do more..."

Steve melted into a workbench. He and Tony still have spells like this, due to stress. And with as much as Tony puts into his projects, well...Tony's PTSD spiked much more often. Finally telling Steve about that vision he had of the dead Avengers was both an ease of a burden and a recurring problem that he keeps trying to avoid.

"Let's go upstairs. It's been a long day."

Tony nodded and went with Steve up to the living room. They wrapped up in a blanket together, and Steve started sketching. Tony watched with eagerness, seeing the movements of the pencil change direction and speed. Neither said a word the whole time.

He laughed when Steve finished. "A puppy, really?" Tony gestured to the golden retriever. "Are you trying to ask for something that does nothing but makes noise and messes?"

"No," Steve smiled. "I've got you for that."

"Wow, your sass has reached a whole new level. Moving in with me was the best decision you ever made."

Steve kissed Tony. "Agreed."

Tony fell asleep in Steve's lap less than an hour later to the sound of pencil rubbing against paper. Steve stopped and placed his pad and pencil back onto the table and ran his fingers through Tony's thick, dark hair.

When Steve woke up after dozing off for a couple of hours, he looked down to see Tony sleeping peacefully. He gently moved Tony just enough so he could get up. Being a superhuman, his incredibly fast metabolism always kept him hungry. He grabbed a protein bar and started munching on it, occasionally sipping some milk. Movement from the couch meant Tony was probably waking up, so Steve made his way over, till he heard a loud thump.

"Tony?"

Tony slung his blanket off, and pushed up onto his hands and knees, breathing heavily. He looked around, seeing a mess of pillows and blankets strewn across the couch and floor.

Steve slowly walked up to him.

"That's embarrassing." Tony shook it off.

"Tony, what's wrong?" Steve was slow and gentle, just like Tony is to him every time he has a nightmare. "Talk to me."

Tony thought back on that moment, then fast-forwarded a little.

 _Ever tried schwarma? I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it._

"Tony, look at me." He looked at Steve, who was eye level with him on the ground. "You are safe. I'm here, and I'm not gonna leave you."

Tony stared into Steve's soft eyes, and slowly shook his head. "What did I ever do in my life to deserve someone like you?"

Steve cupped his face. "Just being you."

Tony embraced Steve, kissing him continuously and more fervently. He laid down on the couch, pulling Steve on top of him.

"I love you."

"I love you."


	2. Chapter 2

"What was that?" Steve ran to the window the next morning, leaving Tony confused.

He heard nothing.

"JARVIS?" Tony listens to a location as he catches up to Steve.

"Time to suit up." Steve looks to Tony, who nods.

"Aye-aye, Cap." As Tony runs down to the lab to get one of his older, but still functional Mark XLIV, he hesitates. "It's ok...it's ok...probably just a little trigger-happy nobody. A one-and-done. I can get back to work later tonight. No biggie..." He steps into the suit, thanking his lucky stars (and JARVIS) that the suit is fully charged. He sees Steve already on the outside deck waiting on him. Either his super serum gives him super speed to change clothes, or Tony needs to snap out of his daze. He can deal with this pesky trauma later...

"You ready?" Steve had his hand out, ready for take-off.

"Always." Tony gives him a quick kiss, and they head towards the devastation.

" _Sir, the explosion seems to have detonated about two blocks down, giving off a foreign energy that is...difficult to explain..."_

"Good to know. I think..." Tony's words caught in his throat. _What the hell? This was no ordinary bomb. Some weird readings..._

"Tony! We gotta get these people to safety!" Steve saw there were already emergency personnel on the scene. Tony literally dropped him off, and the Captain landed with ease. He ran towards a firefighter who was ushering people away from the building.

"Captain! Thank God you're here! We got everybody out, but..." He got cut off, collapsing to the ground.

"Sir?" Steve knelt down to check a pulse. He could barely hear beeping sound. Another bomb? "EVERYBODY GET BACK!"

Thrown back about ten feet, Steve starts to worry that the culprit is still here. People are screaming, running...or not moving. Looking around at the destruction, he calls up to Tony.

"Are you alright?!" Steve shouts, praying for an answer.

"Still in one piece. You?"

"I'm ok...Tony, is there anybody left in those buildings?"

"It's all clear, except..." Tony stopped, hovering for a minute above the stairs to the now demolished building. There was a man limping forward, cradling his left arm.

"Sir!" Steve ran towards him to help, but stopped when the man started laughing. He stood straight up, as if completely unharmed.

"Captain America... _and_ Iron Man? It's my lucky day. I thought I would go unnoticed."

"What's your game here?"

"You cannot stop me." The man smiled. "Cut off the head of one, two more take its place..."

Steve's stomach flips. He sprints towards the man and pins him to the ground. But he's too late...

The man had already popped the cyanide out of his tooth. Struggling, the man manages with his dying breath:

"Hail HYDRA..."

Steve drops him on the ground, disgusted. Did he not destroy HYDRA all those years ago?

"What the _hell_ was that?" Tony walked up to him, horrified. "And what is HYDRA?"

"It's back..." Steve looks off at a firetruck hosing down some flames. After that mini episode, everything seemed to have calmed down around them.

If only that were really true.

* * *

Back home, the news was having a field day. Protestors lined the streets. People had died today...and they blamed the Avengers.

Tony was angrily working on his right repulser as he watched. He could not save them all. He could not stop the bad thing from happening. Because he hesitated. And what was this HYDRA that got Steve so worked up for? Surely something that menacing would be something he should know about? Did Steve not trust him?

 _BREAKING NEWS: Preliminary casualties are said to be over 600. In Washington, rumblings on whether Superhero Reform should be brought to the table. Following last week's devastating explosion, Congress has rushed through passage of the Superhuman Registration Act._

Tony got up and slowly walked towards the TV, then turned around to see himself reflecting in a window screen. Pitiful. How could he call himself a hero? Letting all those people die. Angering the public?

 _I can't stand you._

Tony shot at the screen in front of him and quickly turned to the one behind him. He saw himself again, and fired. Glass shattered everywhere. Breathing heavily, he threw off the repulser and went to the bar upstairs for a drink.

He needed it.

What seemed like hours went by, and Tony looked up to see Steve.

"Tony?" Steve came up, hoodie unzipped and bare-chested. His hair was still damp from the shower, and his sweatpants hung low on his narrow hips. He looked concerned. Steve did not like it when Tony drank. Especially when he was upset.

"What?" Tony spat. He corrected himself, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, you know how I get it..."

"I know." Steve sighed, looking down. "Are you ok?"

"Do I look ok?"

"Tony..." Steve reached for the glass of scotch in his boyfriend's hand.

"Stop." Tony jerked his hand away, took a big gulp to finish off the drink, and slammed it down on the counter. "You don't get to do this today."

"Do what?" Steve frowned.

"Play the perfect soldier. All manners and show, keeping secrets." Tony spat the last word. "From me..." He choked.

"Tony, I would never...what are you going on about? What's wrong?" Steve was getting anxious. He hated when Tony got like this.

"HYDRA?!" Tony yelled. When Steve said nothing, he continued. "I did a little research. Apparently, they caused you a lot of trouble back in the day..." Steve winced, not really wanting to go there. The past still hurt. And Tony knew that...so he continued. "Look, I know it's hard for you. You've been through hell and back, but guess what? So have I. And you wanna know something? I don't like keeping secrets either. But between you and me, we can figure it out. We can help each other. I can't be worried about some old ghost coming back from the dead to haunt your ass if you don't tell me about it. How am I supposed to keep you safe? How am I supposed to know that you're ok? The only thing I ever asked from you was to be honest with me...I wanted all of our cards out on the table. I know I've done my part. Afghanistan, the palladium poisoning, the wormhole...my demons are out in the open. And nothing from you. Am I not good enough for you?"

"Tony, please, listen to me..." Steve took a breath. "I thought I took care of it...back then. I thought, when I went under...Fury said we had won the war. I thought that meant HYDRA was done. But Tony...he had that mad look in his eye. Those words...you have no idea what you're going up against."

"Uh huh...you _thought._ " Tony went behind the bar, and grabbed a bottle. "Then enlighten me..."

"I think you're done." Steve went for the bottle, which Tony scooted away.

"You're changing the subject. And you're not telling me what I need to know." Tony pours himself another glass, and takes a sip. "Does SHIELD know about this?"

"I don't know...I would think Fury would've told us by now..." Steve watched Tony take another sip. "Look, HYDRA is full of terrorists, full of people who want to take over the world, eradicating freedom and hope and-"

"The American way?" Tony nods. "And supposedly after your...ice nap...they have somehow come back...through one guy? Who killed himself."

"There's more of them out there. Cut off-"

"The head of one, two more grow back. Yeah, I studied Greek mythology in boarding school...in my spare time." Tony walked out from behind the bar, leaving his drink.

"Tony, we have to let the others know."

"No...they've needed this break. Fiji is nice this time of year. Don't call them back yet. The big guy wouldn't like it. And we still haven't figured out how to reach Thor. It's up to m-us..." Tony had to fix this...to make things right. To prove to himself that he can save people, not hurt them. What happened today will never happen again.

"Look, Tony, I think _you_ need to take a break, you're-"

"There is nothing except this." Tony interrupted, saying this a little too harsh. "Stop babying me. I'm a grown man. I can take care of myself..."

Steve was hurt. And his face showed it. He cared about Tony. He knew Tony could be a mean drunk. But this, what has gotten into him lately? Maybe it was the nightmares. He was not getting enough sleep.

"Tony, I can handle this. I did it before, I can do it again...I don't want you caught up in the middle of this. I'm going-"

"What, you're leaving me?" Tony choked.

"No, Tony, listen to me. Just...No!" Steve was getting frustrated. "I'm going to take care of this, I don't need you-"

"I'm sorry, what?"

There was no way to take back what he said. He did not mean it like that...it just slipped. And Tony is going to twist his words into something terrible.

Tony stared at him, fighting back tears. "You stood by my side all this time...and now you're going to walk?" He slumped into a chair.

Steve sighed. "I don't need you getting hurt...ok?" Steve walked off, and paused at the doorway. "I love you."


	3. Chapter 3

A week went by, Tony sulking around as JARVIS tried everything in his power to make things better for his master. Finally, Tony got over his spell, and took a 46 minute shower. Crying, screaming, laughing...he let it all out. Once he emerged from the bathroom, he was clear-headed.

" _Glad to see you are doing better, Sir. May I remind you that you have a meeting this afternoon with General Ross."_

" _WHAT?!_ " Tony did not want to have anything to do with that despicable man who keeps hunting down his best friend. He slapped himself in the face. Stupid drunk calls. "JARVIS, what did I tell you about me calling people when I'm drunk?"

" _My apologies, Sir, but I do believe you were, preoccupied for 9 minutes and 37-"_

 _"TMI! TMI!"_ Tony closed his hands on his ears, shutting his eyes. He really is a dick when he is drunk...pun intended. He took a deep breath, then went to the closet. "It's fine...it's fine...all I have to do is be myself."

" _Yes, Sir. As always, a well-executed plan of action. Might I suggest you be your more well-behaved self, Sir?"_

"Very funny..." Tony shuffled through the racks of suits, trying to find _the one_.

" _Pretend you are not only charming, but polite for once."_

"Love you, too." Tony got what he wanted, and prepared for battle.

* * *

"Mr. Stark. Thank-you for taking the time to talk with us." General Ross, as fake as ever, shook Tony's hand. "Right this way." He led Tony into a hearing room, where a bunch of senators were sitting around with paparazzi everywhere. And smack dab in the middle...Senator Stern.

As if this day could not get any worse.

"Well, well, well...if it isn't the infamous Tony Stark. Welcome..." Stern really must have taken too many happy pills today. Speaking of Happy, is it too late to call him to pull the car back around and take him home?

Tony swallowed all of his pride, almost choking to death. "Thank-you." He sat down as General Ross took the floor. And Tony started to drift. He figured out real quick why he was here. More talk of the Superhero Registration Act.

"...Above all, we must know what they can do." Stern finished his BS, which of course, Ross agreed with.

"Mr. Stark?"

"Yes, dear?"

"What say you?"

"Oh contraire to popular belief, I think it's a step in the right direction...even though this wasn't our fault."

"We understand that, Mr. Stark, and we are not blaming you. We just want to make sure we know who we're dealing with. We believe you can be the bridge..."

"I love metaphors...especially when I'm part of them..."

* * *

Tony could not say he was feeling good, but he was. In his lab, he could escape the world. "Crank it up, Buddy."

JARVIS turned the volume up on "Back in Black." If an AI truly had feelings, well, JARVIS would be happy to be back to a somewhat more normal routine than before. All that was missing was-

Tony did not hear the door open, and he did not hear the voice calling his name. Not until JARVIS shut off the music...

"HEY! I was enjoying myself." He turned to look at Steve. "I'll be damned. The prodigal son returns."

"Tony, what are you doing? Are you nuts?" Steve walked up to him.

Tony innocently showed Steve his tools like he was being arrested. "Jury's out."

"Is everything a joke to you?"

"If it's funny..." Tony took his goggles off, and started to walk off. "I just need a minute-to, uh..." His heart was racing. Steve came back?

"...and you need to focus on the problem."

Tony zoned out again, but being the genius that he is, was able to once again, jump right back into the conversation. "I _am_ focusing on the _problem_...and what have you been doing? Running off, playing besties with Fury? That man hates me!"

"What, and General Ross doesn't hate you?"

"I am trying to fix _my_ mistakes...I mean, the Avengers..."

Steve thought back to his conversation with Nick Fury about this whole issue. Of course, he was not one to play favorites, but...

 _"Now every superhero that disappears with the act suddenly has a leader...looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain."_

 _"Damn right."_

"I want you to be a part of it..." Tony looked at Steve with hope. "With the world on our side for once, we can still have the freedom to do whatever we want. But we need to be put in check. If not, we're no better than the bad guys."

As much as Steve loved him, he knew Tony was wrong. How could he be so blind? "This isn't freedom. This is fear. And I cannot be a part of this..."

"And here I thought we were making up." Tony shook his head.

"Tony, listen to me...this is not the way things have to go. Please."

"No, you listen to me...you either register with me, or you're going to become public enemy number one. And I don't want that..."

"I just don't like this, Tony." Steve did not come back to fight, but he was getting all worked up again.

"Tony?" Pepper walked in, her concern growing as she saw the two men staring daggers into each other. "Am I interrupting something?" She carefully set down the pizza she brought for him, knowing Tony sometimes "forgets" to eat.

"No no, it's fine. Everything is fine. It's just Steve is being an _idiot_ , thinking it's the end of the world."

"Tony." Pepper changed her tone real quick. "I know you're just trying to help..."

Tony wanted to pull his hair out. "I know what I'm doing!"

"Drunk calling a military general and going to a public hearing while you are delirious and hung over is _not_ the way to handle things." Pepper retorted. "I can't leave you alone for five minutes. I thought you had gotten better."

"Pepper, I-"

"You're going to kill yourself, Tony. I'm not going be a part of it." Pepper starts to leave, but remembers something else. "Rhodey told me everything. Apparently you called him last night, and he tried to talk you out of it. Apparently that didn't work either. Once you have your mind made up, there is no stopping you."

Tony watched her leave, getting more and more upset. He then focused back on Steve. "Are you trying to turn everyone against me?"

"Tony, I'm trying to prevent you from making a huge mistake."

"Get out..."

Steve stood frozen, not sure what to do. There was no talking to him.

"GET OUT!"

Steve left without a word. He immediately called Sam.

"I got some bad news for you, Captain."

"You're kidding..."

"Apparently, Congress can pass a law quicker than next June. So when do we start?"

"...We just did." Steve hung up and exited the Tower.

"Oooooooook...Operation Runaway is a go." Sam opened his laptop, pulling up surveillance of Tony. "How long before JARVIS catches on?"

" _Ready and accounted for, Sergeant Wilson._ "

Sam almost jumped out of his skin. "Damn, you're fast."

" _You have to understand that it is in my programming to always put Sir first...even when he doesn't agree with me."_

"Was not expecting that." Sam took a sigh of relief. "What is going on exactly?"

" _Sir has been struggling with depression, anxiety, and has been in a drunken stupor for the past week. I fear he will continue to drive himself into oblivion if he does not stop this rampage he is on."_

"And between him and Steve, those two stubborn mules won't budge."

" _Sir, I would advise against that..."_ JARVIS directed his attention to Tony, who was cursing and banging something.

"I should leave you two alone..." Sam did not like getting involved in this sort of squabble anyway...besides, he had to get back to work on trying to find HYDRA. He promised Steve he would help in any way he could. Besides, he might have a lead...

* * *

"Where is he?" Tony flew around, looking for any signs of Steve.

" _Sir, please go back to the Tower, and try to relax. You're not thinking-"_

"Shut-up, JARVIS!" Tony muted the AI, and finally found Steve.

The soldier was in his uniform, as if waiting for him...how convenient.

"TONY! THAT'S ENOUGH!" He did not flinch as Tony landed in front of him. "Please stop this suicide mission you're on."

"You're the one that needs to be stopped. It's almost like you don't want me to get registered because all of a sudden you want to break the rules. You want to tear everyone apart...just like HYDRA..."

" _What?_ " Before Steve could even comprehend, Tony fired at him...he _fired_ at him.

 _He's lost his mind. I can't talk my way out of this one._

Blocking the explosion with his shield, Steve flies off the side of the hill he was standing on at the edge of a park. Tony was firing again when Steve hopped up to a tree and rebounded off, giving him enough momentum to strike his shield down into the back of Tony's armor. It made a dent, but it made Tony even more furious. He grabbed Steve by his collar, and shot off into the air, spinning so fast, Steve lost track of where he was until he hit the ground hard. He got up just in time to once again see Tony fire at him again, dead on sight. Steve barely pulled his shield up to protect himself in time from the blast.

"ENOUGH!" Steve threw his shield as hard as he could to Tony, who easily dodged it. Seeing that the shield was far enough away, Tony took his time to aim right at Steve, and shot him in the middle of his torso. Steve cried out in more surprise than pain, falling flat on his face. What seemed like several minutes later, he slowly pushed himself up. He did not even see Tony start to put his guard down. Tony silently watched the soldier get up, then finally spoke:

"Stay out of the way." Tony ordered. He could handle this on his own.

Steve was confused, not really sure what was going on, what with the bright lights surrounding him. When his vision reverted back to normal, he realized he was surrounded by a SWAT team. He then heard a loud voice:

"I'm ordering you to obey the order of the American people, Captain."

Steve saw that resistance was futile, and surrendered.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony did not care about today. He did not care about the ceremony in his honor. He did not care about the ugly metal. He especially did not care about Senator Stern the Stupid. He thought back to what happened last night after the fight with Steve.

 _Tony sank into a chair, tired and worn from the skirmish of the day. He forgets how strong Steve is until he is the punching bag. He will be sore for at least a solid week. A smoothie in his hand, he searched with his free hand through some videos. It had_ Captain America WWII _written on a piece of duck tape as a makeshift label on it. "What the hell..." Tony put it on, and watched Steve in all his star-spangled glory. "What have I done? He cried himself asleep for the umpteenth time that night._

Once the idiot left his trail of sight, Tony walked up to the podium, his cue cards in hand. Cameras were blinding him with their nonstop flashing and clicking, which was one of the top ten most annoying things on his pet peeves list. He looked down at his speech some intern probably wrote for him, because the handwriting was actually neat, not like some ugly politician's who doesn't give a crap. He reads it, verbatim, with no sense of enthusiasm. He never looks up until he finishes, and he sees everyone stand and applaud him. Finally, he can escape.

Tony does not say another word, fleeing to the restroom, hoping for a little privacy. He stared at himself in the mirror.

 _What have I done?_

He jerks his tie off, and unbuttons the top of his shirt, finally feeling like he can breathe.

 _What is wrong with me?_

He looks down, not being able to stand the sight of himself. This is not what he wanted. He just wanted peace. But his issues got the best of him. Those little nightmares, the slight drinking problem...all catalysts that just kept getting worse and worse, until it altered his way of thinking. How could he side with those lying, scheming politicians? And Ross? Really?

 _You've really lost it._

Trying to overcompensate for his mistakes, whether they were his fault or not was stupid. All he has done recently is fight with Steve, pushing him away. It was like he was under a spell. If only that were case. Would have been a lot easier to fix.

* * *

Steve goes without any trouble. He had finally given up. They take him down a hallway, where he can hear a commotion of people asking questions he cannot quite make out. Why would the press want to talk to him down here? Come to think of it, Steve did not even know exactly where here was.

Tony is walking ahead of a group of angry people, some urging him to not talk, others telling him what to say. He insisted he speak to the...prisoner.

The two meet up, guards surrounding Steve. Those pesky politicians probably had their ears glued to the wall right around the corner. Tony did not care.

Steve almost looked surprised to see Tony here, where it was all going to end. But Tony had this fear overcome him. He slowly made his way into the room, a wave of memories drowning him...

 _Good morning, handsome._

 _It's your turn to make breakfast._

 _Tony, are you ok?_

 _Huh?_

 _Tony, look at me._

 _Ever tried schwarma?_

 _Now you're going to walk?_

 _I don't need you getting hurt._

 _I love you._

"Cat got your tongue?" Steve smirked. One soldier slapped him. He doubled over as another soldier gut-punched him. Tony inwardly winced. That was where he shot Steve, and even a super soldier would still be sore from a hit like that the day after. He will never forgive himself for just that one action.

"I'm good..." Tony did not even wait for a reply. His lip was about to bleed, he was biting it so hard. He walked out, past the mob, ignoring them.

"Tony?" Steve calls. He sighs, knowing he messed up big time. What had gotten into him?

"You know you never deserved him, da? Someone who cares too much...Shame. I rather liked his spirit. We almost won him over...too bad, he's of no use on this planet anymore." A thick accent was approaching Steve from behind. Something he hated more than anything...the bullies...

" _Hail HYDRA..."_

In a split second, Steve threw himself to the right, the sound of metal slicing through the air. The guards and the masked figure blocked all exits as more agents crashed through the windows. Steve was running out of options until a miracle happened.

"Cap!" One of the agents pulled his mask off, revealing himself as Sam. Turns out SHIELD was on the case and they fought off the HYDRA agents. "You might need this." He handed Steve his shield.

"How did you-"

"JARVIS and I are besties now. No time to explain." He looked back to the sound of a gunshot. "I got my hands full, but you gotta go after Tony. I think he's in danger."

"Tony..." Steve nodded a thanks and ran off.

"Oh, and Cap! JARVIS wanted me to give this to you. He says to tell Tony to make the call whenever he's ready!" Sam tossed Steve a small, something scientific thing that he had no idea what it was.

"I owe ya one!"

"Let me run in peace!" Sam laughed as he continued to fight off HYDRA agents. "Hail HYDRA, my ass!"

* * *

"Talk to me JARVIS! I have no idea where I am." Steve was running as fast as he could away from the fight.

" _Captain, I apologize for all of this. I could not locate HYDRA anywhere. However, Sir was last scene walking outside to go to a bar unfortunately, but he was taken to this address. I cannot say, where he is in the vicinity."_

"That's close enough...thank-you, JARVIS." Steve continued to sprint towards what looked like a mansion hanging over the side of a cliff. It reminded him of Tony's mansion in Malibu.

"Tony, I am so sorry..." Steve kept telling himself. He slowed down to a light jog and jumped up into a tree. "You still there, _JARVIS_?" He talked to his earpiece.

" _Yes, sir. I would like to inform you that there are no hostiles in the surrounding area. Only a few armed guards inside."_

"I don't like the sound of that. That's too easy. Still, I-" Steve paused, unsure of what he was seeing.

"Tony?" Steve saw a shadow of what looked like Tony. He was alright? How did he escape?

Steve ran up to him. "Tony..." He whispered.

The shadow turned, and Steve caught a glimpse of Tony's angered face. "Hail HYDRA." He had a gun pointing to Steve.

"What the-" Steve ducked, and grabbed the gun, knocking him to the ground.

Tony laughed. And it stopped sounding like Tony. And looking like Tony, as the man reached up to his face, and pulled off a holographic mask that changed to his true form... _not_ Tony.

"Almost gotcha, didn't I?"

 _Tony could not breathe. He needed fresh air. There had to be a way to fix this. As soon as he stepped outside, though, his whole world went black._

 _He woke up with his wrists zip-tied above his head a little too tight for comfort. He could barely feel his fingers._

 _"It's just that kind of day, isn't it?" Tony looked around to see if he could have any idea of getting out of here. No such luck...and he was not wearing his bracelets that called the suit to him. Idiot._

"Where is he?!" Steve pointed the gun to him.

The man laughed again, pulling the trigger with Steve's hand, shooting himself. Steve stared down at the body, then at the mask. What has this world come to?

A scream alerted him down a corridor, with lots of empty rooms. The house looked fully livable, but there was not a soul in sight. A light was shining from under a door at the end of the long trek. Steve quietly crept down to the supposed locked door, mentally counted to three, and kicked it in. There were two HYDRA agents, with knives at Tony's throat.

"One false move, and he-"

 _BANG! BANG!_

Neither man stared at the two dead HYDRA agents on the ground. It took a minute to process what only happened in the blink of an eye. Tony was grateful Steve had that kind of military training.

"Tony?" Steve closed in on him, taking in what he was seeing. There he was, strung up like a piñata, beaten and bleeding with eyes that carried all of the burden of the world. Fear literally shook him.

"S-Steve?" Tony was not sure. He did not know what to believe anymore.

"Tony, look at me. You are safe. I am here. And I am not going to leave you." Steve put away the gun as he recited the same speech he used to cast away the nightmares. But this one was all too real. He grabbed a knife off the table and Tony winced away. "It's ok..." Steve cut him loose, and he fell into his arms. "It's ok...I'm here..."

Tony was shaking. "Is it really you?"

"They tricked you too, huh? Here." Steve handed Tony the device. "Let's get out of here."

Tony looked down, and knew what to do. "JARVIS?"

" _It is good to hear your voice, Sir._ "

"Light the bastards up."

" _Yes, Sir. Might I suggest you exit through the window?_ "

"You always know what to do." Tony smiled, something Steve missed seeing.

"THERE THEY ARE!" As bullets rained down on them, Steve shielded Tony with himself, his own shield protecting his back. They jumped down to a construction sight, shooting back at the enemy.

"Come on, we're not that far away!" Tony was growing impatient.

"Tony, get down!" Steve jumped on top of him as an explosion went off. When the dust settled, they heard a noise that was music to their ears.

The Iron Legion arrived, taking out every hostile HYDRA maniac in sight.

"Leave no stone unturned, JARVIS. Level the place."

"Yes, Sir."

As each suit did its fair share of damage, Steve could not help but check in on Tony, who was a little worse for wear.

"Tony, are you alright?"

Tony had this deer-in-the-headlights look on his face. He blinked several times, staring off into the distance. He shook himself out of it. "I am now..." Tears welled up in his eyes. "Steve...I was so stupid. A fu-"

"Language." Steve interrupted.

"A freaking idiot. I'm going to lay off the alcohol a while. Clearly, it does more harm than good, I just..." Tony burst into tears. "Steve..."

"Oh, Tony, come here." Steve pulled him into a protective embrace. "I'm so glad you're safe, now."

"I love you..." Tony whispered.

Steve kissed his forehead. "I love you..." Then he gently kissed Tony's lips, becoming more and more passionate.

 _Beep!Beep!_

"That's our ride." Tony cut Steve off. His favorite orange and 100% automatic sports car rolled up.

"How did that get here so fast?" Steve raised an eyebrow.

"The only sensible way...recklessly fast and irresponsible like me..." He got in the driver's seat. "Thanks for the ride, JARVIS."

" _Of course, Sir._ "

Tony took Steve's hand. "Let's go home." As he pealed out, Steve looked out the window, feeling more homesick than ever before.

Later that night, they decided they were going to settle this Registration Act once and for all, together. After a long hot shower, they both collapsed on the bed.

"Steve?"

"Hm?" Steve sat up as Tony's head raised off his chest. The arc reactor shined brightly. He could get lost staring at that marvel.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you..."

"Tony, we've apologized eighty times already. I've forgiven you, and I'm past it. I'm just glad we're home." He pulled Tony into his arms.

Tony jerked back as Steve ever-so-slightly winced. The bruises on the soldier still were not healed completely...Tony mentally beat himself up again.

"Hey," Steve jerked the blanket up over his stomach. "My eyes are up here, perv." He smiled.

Tony silently cried. How could he deserve someone so perfect?

"I'm ok..." He kissed Tony's face where those goons cut and tortured him. "You're ok..." He kissed his lips. "We are ok..."

Tony stared into those bright blue eyes. "I love you, Steve. I love you so much."

"I love you so much more, Tony."

 _You want a revelation? Some kind of resolution. Tell me what you want me to say._

* * *

 ** _Thank-you so much to ann2who for allowing me to write a fanfic of her video:_**

 ** _"Steve & Tony | No Lights **Civil War AU** (_ watch?v=P3DjPgIpEBs)**

 **Civil War really tore us all apart, especially the 4 year build-up** **after the first Avengers movie. There are too many Stony feels to go around. I had a lot of fun dissecting this video and putting it into words. Diving deep into Tony's and Steve's psyche, wondering how they would react to something like this. And how they would act as a couple when both of them are as stubborn as a mule. #stony4life I love these two! You should leave a review, and see what you think and check out my other Stony/Avengers FanFics. Please, if you have a YouTube channel, subscribe to ann2who. Absolutely incredible talent. Watch the video to this fanfic and you will have goosebumps! The editing with the music is flawless, and there are more videos this great on the channel. Thank-you all for reading this! Can't wait to write more! Infinity War is almost here!**

 **Thanks again, ann2who :)**


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